The water that people in Dhaka use every day is carrying several hazardous chemicals. Tests found toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, and residues of pesticides and insecticides in the water being supplied in the capital. Presence of these chemicals in water raises serious concerns about the safety of water being consumed by millions of people daily.
PFAS are a class of man-made substances which are resistant to heat, water, oil and stains. They are called 'forever chemicals' because of their resistance to decomposition and persistence in water, soil and biological systems.
According to a study conducted in 2024 by the Environment and Social Development Organization (ESDO) and the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), PFAS compounds were found in 87 per cent of the surface-water samples in the country and the concentration was found to be thousands of times more than the levels of safety under some international guidelines.
This is especially troubling for the Dhaka city, which has long been known for dumping untreated or partially treated industrial waste into its rivers and canals. The sources of PFAS pollution are mainly connected to industrial practices, including textile production. It goes without saying that the same elements which make products water-resistant will one day end up in the environment.
The problem does not end there. PFAS have also been detected in tap water in Dhaka at levels above thresholds set by US the authorities. Another 2024 study, conducted jointly by the Department of Agricultural Chemistry of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University and Umeå University in Sweden, detected PFAS in water supplied by Dhaka WASA through water ATM booths.
That should be a matter of immediate public concern because PFAS exposure has been associated with a range of adverse health effects. Certain PFAS has links to several diseases, including cancer, liver damage, changes in cholesterol, impacts on the immune and reproductive health and growth problems.
Pesticide and insecticide residues pose another but no less alarming risk. Pesticides have become a key part of farming in Bangladesh. Their residues make their way into water because of agricultural runoff, improper disposal and leakage of the soil that has been contaminated by pesticides. Some pesticides can persist in the environment and travel long distances and some others may accumulate in organisms and travel along the food chain. Some of the pesticides have connections to health effects such as neurotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, developmental toxicity, hormonal toxicity and cancer.
However, the detection of harmful chemicals in water does not, by itself, tell us the exact health risks. The authorities must quantify their concentrations and compare these to scientifically validated levels. That is precisely where Dhaka falls short.
The water that is supplied by WASA must go under regular and transparent testing for an extensive range of emerging contaminants, rather than just the usual parameters for water quality. Testing for PFAS and pesticides would require advanced laboratory setups as well as suitable methodologies. The results must be independently verified and publicly disclosed.
Ignoring the issue when test results turn out to be alarming is unacceptable. In case any independent research shows potentially harmful substances in the water supplied to Dhaka residents, the relevant authorities must tell people what has been found, if they themselves have conducted any tests on the matter and what steps have been taken to correct the problem. It must be kept in mind that the results from independent testing will also be disclosed and reviewed.
Another fact is quite unpleasant. Just treating the water in case of contamination will not end the problem of pollution at the source point. Industries that discharge chemicals into rivers, canals, and drainage systems must be held responsible for environmental damage and make them meet environmental standards. Textile factories and other industries using chemicals need effective waste-treatment systems, while regulators must ensure that those systems actually operate rather than merely exist on paper.
Dhaka's water crisis has traditionally been discussed in terms of sewage, bacteria, arsenic and visible industrial pollution. PFAS and pesticide residues add a newer and more difficult dimension to that crisis. The warning from the studies should therefore be treated as an opportunity for an urgent nationwide investigation-not as another environmental report to be filed away and forgotten.
